Daily Archives: August 26, 2015

Picking up the pieces after a real-life horror story. It’s what one Mississippi family is doing after a horrible case of child abuse.

Amanda Raines was sentenced to life in prison this month for starving and beating her 11-year-old stepson Tyler Raines to death. Raines’ husband is also charged in the case.

An Olive Branch family has taken in Tyler’s four siblings, adopting them as their own. But tonight, they are asking the community to help their new family.

The family has four children of their own and took in four more kids after that horrible tragedy.

“He was a quiet kid, but he was real nice,” Nick Thompson told FOX13 when talking about Tyler. “He was always smiling. Tyler was always smiling.”

At just 11 years old, Tyler’s life ended at the hands of Amanda Raines. He left behind siblings who have now been adopted by the Thompson family.

“They were all close to Tyler. They lived with him; that was their brother,” Thompson said. “They look up to him because he saved them. He’s their Superman, their superhero. They miss him very much.”

Amanda Raines was sentenced to life in prison. Nick Thompson told FOX13 after a tough trial, life is getting back to normal for their family.

“We’re just trying to keep them busy, letting them do everything they never got to do before because none of them ever got to experience anything outside of the house,” Thompson said.

Thompson said they family is hoping to get a fresh start, giving these kids a childhood they never had.

“We’re taking them all to Disney World to give them a new beginning, a new start, start fresh,” Thompson said.

A fresh start, the one Tyler Raines never got.

“We’re trying to make sure they get to experience everything they can in a childhood because some of them have missed a lot,” Thompson said. “We’re trying to get them to regain that empty spot in their life.”

Family friends have set up a go fund me to help the family adjust to their new life with eight kids now. You can help by clicking here:http://dm2.gofund.me/v25xwfzg

BRYAN COUNTY, OK – A day care owner in Durant is being investigated for child abuse.

“They’re all I got and I’m all they got,” Durant mother Leslee Meade said – whose children went to Sue’s Day Care.

Leslee Meade, says she trusted Sue’s Day Care in Durant, which has been around for over 20 years.

She says everything was going fine…

“Until the last month, month and a half, I noticed that he was coming home extremely tired,” Meade said.

She says she was having to wake her 8 month old up between bites.

“Then after he’d eat, he’d go to sleep, say 6 o’clock, and wouldn’t wake up until 6 the next morning,” Meade said.

She was considering bringing her baby to the Emergency Room.

“I received a call from D-H-S saying they were investigating the day care for possibly giving the babies Benadryl to put them to sleep,” Meade said.

“An employee who was there and had left stated she had witnessed this,” Bryan County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jeff Wilson said. “She referred this to the Child Welfare department.”

“Their findings were a bottle of Benadryl in the nursery in an unmarked bottle,” Meade said.

Investigators say the day care is owned by Beverly Sue Stair.

Bryan County Sheriff’s detective Jeff Wilson, says two weeks ago, Child Protective Services requested she close the business, while they looked into the allegations. Since the closure was voluntary, two days later, she reopened. Then Friday, CPS requested she close again.

“Right now we have 7 victims,” Wilson said.

Our phone calls to the day care were not returned, and no one answered the door.

In the past two years, at least two babies – one in Virginia and one in Connecticut, died from Benadryl in their system.

“It’s a very dangerous and possibly deadly situation, Benadryl is not designed for the small children,” Wilson said.

Wilson says employees have been forthcoming.

“All stated that they were ordered to give this by the owner,” Wilson said.

Wilson says the case will be turned over to the District Attorney’s office, and says Stair could face felony child abuse charges.